NextChapter

Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Northeast

Watertown leads the Northeast for director and executive jobs: 53% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 25% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Watertown, MA: 53%
  • #2 Cambridge, MA: 46%
  • #3 Hoboken, NJ: 45%
  • 68 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 25% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Watertown MA53%
  2. 2Cambridge MA46%
  3. 3Hoboken NJ45%
  4. 4Princeton NJ42%
  5. 5Ithaca NY38%
  6. 6Iselin NJ36%
  7. 7Greenwich CT35%
  8. 8Florham Park NJ34%
  9. 9Morristown NJ33%
  10. 10Bridgewater NJ32%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Watertown (53%) is well clear of Bridgewater at #10 (32%).
  • Cambridge is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,275 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Watertown MA

    53%

    Director and above
    65
    All openings
    123
    Median posted pay
    $200k

    Hiring most here: Tutor Intelligence, Kymera Therapeutics, Treeline Biosciences

    Based on 123 openings.

  2. 2

    Cambridge MA

    46%

    Director and above
    591
    All openings
    1,275
    Median posted pay
    $197k

    Hiring most here: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Harvard University, Biogen

    Based on 1,275 openings.

  3. 3

    Hoboken NJ

    45%

    Director and above
    47
    All openings
    105
    Median posted pay
    $162k

    Hiring most here: Walmart, Stevens Institute of Technology, Unilever

    Based on 105 openings.

  4. 4

    Princeton NJ

    42%

    Director and above
    164
    All openings
    391
    Median posted pay
    $178k

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 391 openings.

  5. 5

    Ithaca NY

    38%

    Director and above
    39
    All openings
    104
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: Ithaca College, Cornell University, Tompkins Bank & Trust

    Based on 104 openings.

  6. 6

    Iselin NJ

    36%

    Director and above
    47
    All openings
    131
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Hiring most here: Hackensack Meridian Health, CLS Group, Provident Bank

    Based on 131 openings.

  7. 7

    Greenwich CT

    35%

    Director and above
    45
    All openings
    129
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: iCapital, AQR Capital, Berkley W R

    Based on 129 openings.

  8. 8

    Florham Park NJ

    34%

    Director and above
    44
    All openings
    131
    Median posted pay
    $123k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, AbbVie, Shionogi

    Based on 131 openings.

  9. 9

    Morristown NJ

    33%

    Director and above
    69
    All openings
    212
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Hiring most here: Atlantic Health System, Crum & Forster, Sanofi-aventis Patient Assistance Foundation

    Based on 212 openings.

  10. 10

    Bridgewater NJ

    32%

    Director and above
    43
    All openings
    133
    Median posted pay
    $225k

    Hiring most here: Legend Biotech, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 133 openings.

  11. 11

    Boston MA

    31%

    Director and above
    1,585
    All openings
    5,086
    Median posted pay
    $170k

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 5,086 openings.

  12. 12

    Newton MA

    30%

    Director and above
    34
    All openings
    113
    Median posted pay
    $153k

    Hiring most here: Panera Brands, Siemens Healthineers, The RMR Group

    Based on 113 openings.

  13. 13

    Waltham MA

    29%

    Director and above
    171
    All openings
    580
    Median posted pay
    $194k

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 580 openings.

  14. 14

    Bronx NY

    29%

    Director and above
    53
    All openings
    185
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Bronxworks, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Argus Community

    Based on 185 openings.

  15. 15

    Horsham PA

    28%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    106
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: Veeco Instruments, Coherent, Johnson & Johnson

    Based on 106 openings.

  16. 16

    Brooklyn NY

    28%

    Director and above
    190
    All openings
    680
    Median posted pay
    $142k

    Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI

    Based on 680 openings.

  17. 17

    Stamford CT

    28%

    Director and above
    91
    All openings
    326
    Median posted pay
    $128k

    Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Oak Ridge Legal Search

    Based on 326 openings.

  18. 18

    Queens NY

    27%

    Director and above
    28
    All openings
    103
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Samaritan Daytop Village, Skanska USA, NEW York Edge

    Based on 103 openings.

  19. 19

    Secaucus NJ

    27%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    111
    Median posted pay
    $122k

    Hiring most here: Quest Diagnostics, Advanced Micro Devices, ZT Systems

    Based on 111 openings.

  20. 20

    Jersey City NJ

    27%

    Director and above
    164
    All openings
    610
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Hiring most here: DTCC, Verisk Analytics, JPMorgan Chase

    Based on 610 openings.

  21. 21

    Hartford CT

    27%

    Director and above
    94
    All openings
    350
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 350 openings.

  22. 22

    New York NY

    27%

    Director and above
    5,456
    All openings
    20,410
    Median posted pay
    $165k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 20,410 openings.

  23. 23

    Edison NJ

    27%

    Director and above
    32
    All openings
    120
    Median posted pay
    $113k

    Hiring most here: Xoriant, DHL

    Based on 120 openings.

  24. 24

    Worcester MA

    26%

    Director and above
    41
    All openings
    157
    Median posted pay
    $111k

    Hiring most here: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Umass Memorial Health Care, Milford Regional Medical Center

    Based on 157 openings.

  25. 25

    Philadelphia PA

    26%

    Director and above
    480
    All openings
    1,852
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Confidential, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, GSK

    Based on 1,852 openings.

Full ranking

All 68 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Watertown MA53%123
2Cambridge MA46%1,275
3Hoboken NJ45%105
4Princeton NJ42%391
5Ithaca NY38%104
6Iselin NJ36%131
7Greenwich CT35%129
8Florham Park NJ34%131
9Morristown NJ33%212
10Bridgewater NJ32%133
11Boston MA31%5,086
12Newton MA30%113
13Waltham MA29%580
14Bronx NY29%185
15Horsham PA28%106
16Brooklyn NY28%680
17Stamford CT28%326
18Queens NY27%103
19Secaucus NJ27%111
20Jersey City NJ27%610
21Hartford CT27%350
22New York NY27%20,410
23Edison NJ27%120
24Worcester MA26%157
25Philadelphia PA26%1,852
26Lexington MA25%253
27Somerville MA25%282
28Norwood MA24%108
29Parsippany NJ24%230
30Bedford MA24%193
31Providence RI23%201
32New Haven CT23%285
33Newark NJ23%426
34Exton PA22%115
35Portland ME21%191
36Burlington MA20%268
37Lancaster PA20%159
38Framingham MA20%207
39Berkeley Heights NJ19%114
40Woburn MA19%172
41Marlborough MA19%252
42Lowell MA19%143
43Piscataway NJ18%116
44Wilmington MA18%148
45Malvern PA17%103
46Syracuse NY17%397
47Reading PA17%196
48Bethlehem PA17%109
49Camden NJ16%158
50Albany NY15%365
51Harrisburg PA15%261
52Allentown PA14%213
53Pittsburgh PA14%1,534
54Springfield MA14%111
55United PA13%112
56Andover MA13%166
57Manchester NH13%152
58Buffalo NY13%415
59Quincy MA13%256
60White Plains NY13%221
61King of Prussia PA13%327
62Melville NY13%152
63Conshohocken PA12%136
64Westborough MA11%116
65Rochester NY11%516
66York PA10%118
67Danbury CT7%101
68Mechanicsburg PA4%140

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for director and executive jobs in the northeast?
Watertown leads the Northeast for director and executive jobs: 53% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 25% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
68 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 68 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-northeast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-northeast">Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Northeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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